Burglary arrests made

By Eric Poole, Ledger Staff

Sunday

Nov 14, 2010 at 12:01 AM

ELLWOOD CITY - Police officers and firefighters from Ellwood City undertook an amphibious operation last month outside their jurisdiction in the frigid water of the Beaver River between Wampum and Wayne Township.

That effort paid off Friday, when Ellwood City and state police arrested six people charged last week in eight burglaries that took place over a two-month span in southern Lawrence County.

A seventh person, Michael Charles Yanssens, 18, of 1123 Fairview Ave., Ellwood City, had not been taken into custody as of Friday afternoon. At least one other person, suspected in burglaries on Sept. 3 and 15, could be charged by next week.

All but two of the burglaries - on Oct. 6, in which Caccia and DeFonde are charged, and on Nov. 9, where Caccia was charged - involved one or more of the other suspects.

Lt. David Kingston, Ellwood City's acting police chief, said the other cases were cracked after police found jewelry from a burglary at the One Stop Jewelry store at the Beaver Valley Mall. The jewelry was stolen in a burglary at the home of Margaret and Robert Atkinson on Riverside Drive, Ellwood City.

The Atkinsons had been out of town on vacation, according to documents filed with District Judge Jerry Cartwright Jr., and returned Sept. 26 to find that approximately $6,000 worth of jewelry had been stolen.

About three weeks later, Margaret Atkinson identified some of the stolen jewelry from a photograph police obtained from the mall jewelry store. Records at the store indicated that Terry had sold the stolen jewelry at the store.

Police questioned Terry in late October and she admitted to the Atkinson break-in and to selling the jewelry. She also said she threw a jewelry box and other jewelry off the Wampum Bridge over the Beaver River between Wampum and Wayne Township. Police and firefighters combed the river around the bridge to recover the stolen jewelry.

"And we found some of it, believe it or not," Kingston said.

Under further questioning, Terry implicated herself, DeFelice, Minnocci, Ostrom and Yanssens in five other burglaries between Sept. 3 and Oct. 9.

Ellwood City police filed charges on Nov. 5 and Friday in a Sept. 18 break-in at the home of Donald Brown of Division Avenue in Ellwood City, the Sept. 26 break-in at the Atkinsons' home, an Oct. 7 break-in at the home of Laura Agostinelli and Mark Warneke on Wayne Avenue in Ellwood City, and an Oct. 9 break-in at the home of DeFelice.

State police filed charges Friday in break-ins on Sept. 3 at the home of Douglas Smith on Barkley Road in Perry Township and Sept. 15 at the home of William Owens on Dutch Ridge Road in Wayne Township.

"The guys all did a good job on this," Kingston said.

The following people will face charges in a series of burglaries during September and October in Ellwood City. All of those apprehended Friday were arraigned before District Judge Jerry Cartwright Jr.:

- Nicholas Caccia, 24, of 200 Park Ave., Ellwood City, charged with burglary and two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary from a burglary Oct. 6; burglary, theft and receiving stolen property from a burglary Nov. 9. He was jailed on $50,000 bail.

- Ryan DeFonde, 21, of 1920 Mile Hill Road, Perry Township, charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and a single count of possession of a controlled substance from a burglary Oct. 6. He was jailed on $25,000 bond.

- Donald Joseph Ostrom, 26, of 707 Fairview Ave., Ellwood City, charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, and loitering and prowling from a burglary on Sept. 18; theft and receiving stolen property from a burglary on Oct. 7. He was jailed on $50,000 bond.

- Courtney Terry, 23, of 524 Smiley St., Ellwood City, charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and a single count of receiving stolen property from a burglary Sept. 3; burglary, criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and theft from a burglary on Sept. 15; receiving stolen property from a burglary on Sept. 18; burglary, theft and receiving stolen property from a burglary on Sept. 26; burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit theft from a burglary on Oct. 7. She was jailed on $125,000 bond.

Ellwood City police made six arrests Friday in several burglaries during September in the borough:

- Sept. 3: The home of Douglas Smith, 2790 Barkley Road, Perry Township. Stolen items were a knife set, jewelry and a Civil War chess set valued at $1,392. Courtney Terry was charged in the burglary.

- Sept. 15: The home of William Owens, 1051 Dutch Ridge Road, Wayne Township. Stolen items were a television, silver flatware and jewelry valued at $6,500. Terry was charged in the burglary.

- Sept. 18: The home of Donald Brown, 618 Division Ave., Ellwood City. Four guns and a television were stolen. The guns were sold later that day for $1,000. One was later recovered. Cheri DeFelice, Michaela Minnocci, Donald Ostrom and Terry were charged in the burglary.

- Sept. 26: The home of Margaret and Robert Atkinson, 420 Riverside Drive, Ellwood City. Stolen items included approximately $6,000 in jewelry. Terry was charged in the burglary.

- Oct. 6: The home of Alison and Ashley Sauer, 521 Wampum Ave., Ellwood City. Stolen items were a laptop computer and jewelry. Ellwood City police recovered the laptop. Nicholas Caccia and Ryan DeFonde were charged in the burglary.

- Oct. 7: The home of Laura Agostinelli and Mark Warneke, 716 Wayne Ave., Ellwood City. Stolen items were a TV, laptop computer, two video game systems, a satellite radio, and jewelry, with a total estimated value of $2,100. Minnocci, Ostrom, Terry and Michael Yanssens were charged in the burglary.

- Oct. 9: The home of Cheri DeFelice, 408 Patricia Ave., Ellwood City. Stolen items were a television set and video game system. Minnocci and Ostrom were charged in the burglary.

- Nov. 9: A vacant residence owned by Raymond Evans, no address provided. Stolen items included plastic chairs, three antique dolls and miscellaneous items. Caccia was charged in the burglary.

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